Drug Rape

Some victims of rape and sexual assault report having been deliberately drugged or 'spiked'.

Willingly taken or not, one danger of drugs is that they reduce people's ability to sense when a situation isn't safe and can mean they take risks they wouldn't normally take.

Drugs and personal safety

Being under the influence of drugs can make it difficult to judge people's character and intentions and make it much harder to make good decisions about personal safety. If a person is forced to take part in unwanted sexual activity, the fact that they were under the influence of drugs makes no difference - the law still says a crime has been committed.

Rape and the Law

The legal penalties for 'drug rape' - where a person was raped, sexually assaulted or sexually coerced after being drugged or while under the influence of drugs - are the same as for any other kind of rape. A conviction for rape can mean up to life imprisonment.

Rape Crisis Scotland provides a national rape crisis helpline and email support for anyone affected by sexual violence, no matter when or how it happened. The helpline is open from 6pm to midnight, 7 days a week.